


Poem of the Snake

by Winterose



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: FrostIron - Freeform, M/M, poem, poem of the snake, snake - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-05-13 00:53:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14739029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winterose/pseuds/Winterose
Summary: Tony Stark meets Loki unexpectedly in the middle of the night after a long day with the Avengers. Where this meeting leads, is not quite what either of them expected.





	1. A Drink

**Author's Note:**

  * For [A dear friend of mine who deeply loves FrostIron](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=A+dear+friend+of+mine+who+deeply+loves+FrostIron).



It had been a long day for Tony Stark as he came home that night. All he wanted was a drink and a good night’s sleep. He hadn’t really slept last night, or the night before. When had he actually slept well last time? Tony couldn’t remember. He wrinkled his eyebrows a bit while thinking about it. It had been before that mysterious artifact had been brought to him, for sure. The elevator made a soft  _ kling _ as the elevator stopped at the top floor of the building. Tony had already been lost in his thoughts as he walked out of the elevator and through the open room to the bar-like corner where he kept his alcohol. 

_ That artifact really is something special. It’s made of some weird material that keeps on changing its temperature and weight, against all the laws of physics as I know them. Though what would be surprising, considering everything we’ve seen this far. The main question is, what is its purpose? It’s a bit larger than a crown, though it might as well be a crown of some sort. Though who wants a crown that keeps on changing its temperature? _

Tony waved his hand in front of a light switch and reached for a bottle on the top shelf. As the lights went on in the bar corner, Tony saw someone sit on his sofa from the corner of his eye. Catching the bottle by the neck, Tony turned slowly around to see the figure properly.

“Loki?” Tony snorted and stared at him. “Long time no see. What brings you here this time? Want a rematch?”

Loki gave Tony a small smirk. He sat on the sofa, somewhat majestically even though he didn’t have the posture while he half-lay on the sofa, one hand on the backrest and the other one playing with a decorative dagger.

“I’d rather not”, Loki answered and examined his dagger’s blade. “I’m actually here for your favours.”

“I don’t remember owing you one”, Tony raised a brow and grabbed two glasses from the cupboard. “Want a drink this time? I definitely need a drink.”

Loki shook his head so little it was almost unrecognizable. Tony shrugged and put one of the glasses away murmuring: “What a shame. It’s a good bottle. Thor would absolutely love it.”

Tony opened the bottle and pour a bit to his glass. While reclosing the bottle he looked at Loki under his brows and asked: “So, of what favours you were talking about?”

“Would you rather talk of a business task?” Loki straightened his posture and held the dagger with both hands in front of his face. “I want you to examine this dagger through and tell me everything you can find out of it.”

“May I ask, why are you asking this of me, rather than some of your own trash.. bad-guy.. person?” Tony asked and sipped of his drink. It felt good as the alcohol went down his throat and left a slightly burning feeling behind.

“Do you want the honest answer, or the one I know you like?”

“Why not both?”

Loki let out a small sigh that had a hint of a laughter in it.

“Greedy”, he grinned and watched Tony over the blade in his hands. Even though Loki’s fingers touched the blade, it didn’t cut through. “Greedy, greedy. I won’t give you both. Actually, I will give you none until you accept my offer.”

“I just can’t see what can I get of this task”, Tony took another sip of his drink.

“I’ll bring you a bottle of fine Asgardian wine”, Loki offered. “Or owe you a favour. I don’t know, depends on what you can give  _ me _ out of this dagger.”

“So the payment refers to the amount of information?” Tony nodded. “Fair enough.”

Tony emptied his glass and put it down in the table in front of him. As he laid his eyes back to the sofa, Loki was gone. Before Tony’s already tired and slightly dizzy head got to register Loki’s absence, Loki was right behind him, handing the dagger over to him and whispering to his ear: “I expect results within a week.”

Tony startled and grabbed the dagger by the handle. He turned around to face Loki, but by the time Tony rotated, the god was gone. Feeling fooled Tony stared at the empty space in front of him, and finally looked at the dagger in his hand. It was beautiful and detailed, with a handle coated with black leather and a blade of dark metal, sharp, with golden details on it. At the pommel of the dagger was a green jewel, that, funny enough, seemed to shine in the same colour as the greens on Loki’s outfit.

_ It’s like made to him, _ Tony thought, grinning.  _ There’s got to be something.. something’s off. I’ll see to it tomorrow. Now I need that sleep. _


	2. At Midnight

Tony poured himself a drink and stared at the dagger laying in a temporary holder on his table. It had been nearly a week since Loki had left the dagger and for his great disappointment, Tony had not yet searched the dagger completely through. With the time he had from his other works and stolen from his sleep, Tony had gotten quite a lot out of it. It just wasn’t everything. There was something in that dagger that didn’t want to show itself to his technology. 

“It’s a joy to look upon.”

Tony startled and almost spilled his drink. He gave Loki a frustrated look over his glass.

“Damn you trickster, have you ever heard of knocking on the door upon your arrival?” he asked.

“And what guarantee I have that you would invite me inside, if I came knocking on a door like a human being?”

“Locked doors don’t seem to stop you anyway.”

“So why bother knocking?”

Tony and Loki stared at each other for a while. Finally Tony snorted.

“Fine. Don’t knock on my door, then. Who am I to stop you”, Tony emptied his glass and looked at the clock on his table. 

“It’s already past midnight. Wasn’t it past midnight last time you visited me as well? Do you always come after midnight, or is this just a coincidence?”

Loki had a look at the glass in Tony’s hand.

“Weren’t you drinking last time we met? Do you always drink in the middle of the night, or is this just a coincidence?”

Loki’s snap back had Tony looking way more serious than he usually seemed to be. Or rather, it left him speechless. Tony looked away, pouting his lips clearly annoyed, as if he was either trying to hold up an answer or come up with one. Not waiting for Tony’s answer, Loki walked slowly over to take a closer look at the dagger.

“So, what have you found out?” Loki peeked at Tony.

“Well, it’s a magical weapon for sure”, Tony shrugged. “But I guess that much you knew yourself.”

Loki stayed quiet, looking closely at the dagger in front of him.

“I know it’s some sort of alien metal”, Tony continued. “It’s nearly as hard as vibranium, but not quite. It actually reminds me more of Thor’s hammer, though it’s far more elegant than that. It also glows when put under different circumstances, like underwater or ultraviolet light. Or certain frequency of sound.”

“Interesting”, Loki murmured and looked at Tony. “Was that a high or a low frequency?”

“Mostly very low frequencies, ones that human ear is not capable of hearing anymore”, Tony said. “Which makes this slightly more interesting, since the high sounds made it actually vibrant, like a small electric power going through it again and again…”

“Thank you for your effort”, Loki grabbed the dagger and gave Tony a tense smile. “I will reward you properly.”

Before Tony could say a word back, Loki was gone again.

“Damn it”, Tony hit his palm lightly on the table and poured himself another drink.


	3. At a Club

Weeks had gone since Loki had disappeared with the knife. Tony had already given up hope getting anything in return and considered himself fooled.  _ That should not surprise me, after all it’s Loki who we are talking about. A man who stabs his own brother as a joke when they are kids cannot really be trusted to be a man to.. well, trust. _

“Hey, mr. Stark!” a well-dressed girl in a beige suit jacket and matching skirt ran over to hand a letter to him. “Mr. Hathaway asked me to deliver this invitation to you. His daughter has gotten a promotion, and he wishes to celebrate it with his loyal partners.”

Tony grabbed the invitation and quickly had a look at it.

“I should be free that night”, he said and smiled at the girl. “You can tell him I accepted the invite.”

Tony put the invitation into his pocket and left the girl standing there confused. He was well aware that the invitation was expected to be answered by either e-mail or a phone call, but he had no intention on doing that.  _ Hathaway should know that already, that poor businessman. He’s worked with me long enough to know my ways of doing things. _

~*~

A few days later Tony found himself at the celebration party that mr. Hathaway had organized for his daughter. In the name of good habits, everyone brought her flowers and congratulation cards. Of course Tony had a small gift as well, though instead of flowers it was a small music box, customized to be better than the ones sold in stores.

“It’s beautiful”, young miss Hathaway smiled at the music box. “And it plays my favourite song! How did you manage to choose this exact song, mr. Stark?”

“I’m just good with these things”, Tony smiled.  _ It’s not hard to google things of you, honey. If you update your social media that actively, half of the world knows everything about you, starting on your favourite song and ending god knows where. _

“Mr. Stark is a good partner”, mr. Hathaway told his daughter smiling. “A bit rough and sarcastic at times, but surely the most loyal and hardworking man I’ve ever met.”

“I’m just a realist. Now excuse me, I’ll go get something to bite”, Tony gave him a smile and hurried off to give the turn for the next person in line to tell how talented young woman the daughter was. 

Tony walked straight up to the table where some food and snacks were served. Going further in from the door, a beat from the music playing upstairs could be heard better. It was a famous club Hathaways had rented for the night. The downstairs fit well for the cocktail party that the businessmen and elderly people appreciated, and the upstairs could still be left for the younger ones to dance their hearts out.

Tony filled a small plate and found himself a good wall to lean on while eating. The music played upstairs was loud and mechanical, some sort of techno music that was popular at the time.

_ How do kids nowadays like crap like this? _ Tony thought, chewing on a piece of cheese.  _ A dull party for the dull people and a teenage party for the kids. How old is she anyway, 20 or 21? Pretty much a teenager still. _

“Mr. Stark?” a woman voice called him. Tony turned his head to see a beautiful, black-haired woman stand in front of him, dressed in a green and gold playing nicely in the dim light of the room.

“That’s me”, Tony smiled and reached a hand forward. “Pleased to meet you, miss..?”

“Pleasure is mine”, she answered, smiling. Her eyes had something in them that made Tony feel uncomfortable. “Miss Ilok. I brought you a gift.”

The lady gave Tony a bottle of wine. A bottle Tony had not seen in her hands when she first appeared in front of him. Tony took the bottle and had a glance at the label.

“Finest Asgardian wine, huh?” he grinned. “Nice trick, Loki. You got me there.”

When Tony looked back, the woman was gone. Instead of her there stood Loki, dressed in a suit of green and gold, smirking at Tony.

“I knew you would figure it out quickly”, he said.

“Miss Ilok?” Tony grinned. “Seriously, you’ve got to be capable of something better.”

“It doesn’t really matter, if I don’t need to stay hidden”, Loki shrugged. Tony stared at him for a while and finally asked: “Are you willing to stay in the party, or want to leave the building? Or did you plan on disappearing again?”

“I’ll let you choose tonight”, Loki answered, though eyed the bottle in Tony’s hands. “That you won’t be able to taste here, though. Your choice.”

Tony smirked.

“Care to teach me the secrets of the taste of a fine Asgardian wine?”


	4. A Dangerous Man

Tony brought two wine glasses and the bottle to the table in front of the sofa. He opened the bottle and smelled it.

“Ah, it smells so good”, Tony smiled. “Sweet, but not too sweet. Would you like to have something with this, or just the wine?”

“Would you make me a sandwich?” Loki asked, a joking grin on his face.

“Sure thing, I could eat one myself as well”, Tony nodded and waved at the bar corner. “The only thing missing are the ingredients, since this top floor is not a kitchen. That’s two floors down from here.”

Loki laughed.

“What a shame”, he said. “It would’ve been a pleasure to turn you into a woman to make me a sandwich.”

“Are you serious?” Tony snorted. “That’s not even funny.”

Loki shrugged.

“A practical joke.”

“Who would laugh at it anyway?”

“Probably me, since we are the only two persons around here and most of the time the one who’s joked of does not appreciate the humour.”

Tony grinned.

“Well, usually people don’t like to see someone make a fool out of them”, he said and took one of the wine glasses in hand, smelling the wine in it. Loki took the other glass and at the same time they sipped of the wine.

“This is fantastic!” Tony sighed, looking at Loki. “So, this is Asgardian wine, huh? Better than anything I’ve ever tasted.”

“And hard to deliver outside of Asgard”, Loki nodded. “It took me a while to smuggle just one bottle of it. As you probably noticed already.”

“I thought you had fooled me”, Tony admitted. “Wouldn’t be the first time for you to betray people. Wouldn’t be a surprise.”

Tony sipped of his wine and Loki stared at him, frustrated and hurt.

“You are judging me by things I have done in the past”, Loki whispered.

“What else do I have to judge you by?” Tony snorted.

“The things I have shown you lately”, Loki answered. “I kept my word. I rewarded you for the examination on the blade. I brought you the blade to begin with. Doesn’t that show something? That I might be trustworthy? That I might not be the bad guy everyone talks about?”

Tony looked Loki in the eyes.

“I’m not your enemy, Tony”, Loki said quietly. There was something in his voice, in his eyes, something that made Tony feel sad. It was a heavy feeling in his chest, a strong wave of empathy. Tony looked away.

“Don’t look so sad”, he murmured. “Don’t try to fool me to pity you for no reason. Don’t act so innocent. You have manipulated so many people and caused the death of countless more. You can’t deny the fact that you  _ are _ dangerous.”

“We are the same, then”, Loki’s words got Tony look quickly back at him. Their eyes met, and at that moment if ever, Loki’s eyes were truly honest when he said: “You know it, Tony. We both are dangerous men.”


	5. Speaks with Poisonous Lips

“Whye doesn’t it seem to have an end?” Tony took the bottle of wine in his hand and waved it slowly. “Haven’t we drunk it many thimes already?”

“It’s just the two of us drinking”, Loki shrugged and looked how the wine was flowing in circles in his glass when he moved it around. “It’s Asgardian wine. One bottle of it is quite a lot more than the wine bottles are here in Midgard.”

“Mithcart?”

“Midgard. Earth. Whatever you want to call it.”

“I’ve never… heard anyone say Mithgarth.”

“You should have. My brother calls it that.”

“Does he?”

“Yes.”

“Well, who listens to him anyway?” Tony laughed and poured himself another glass of wine. Neither of them had counted them, but it was clear that Tony had had a few cups too many. Loki sighed irritated and put his hand on top of Tony’s glass, looking at the man with a serious face.

“I think you should stop there”, he said and grabbed gently the glass  _ and  _ the bottle from Tony. While he put them down on the table as far from Tony as he could, Tony looked at him a bit hurt.

“The bottle is not empty yet”, he said, pouting his lips very un-tony-likely. Loki rolled his eyes.

“Tony. You are slurring.”

“No I’m noth. You speak some odd alien language.”

“No, I speak exactly the same language as you do. You are drunk. Go to sleep.”

“No, I’m not too drunk yet”, Tony reached for the bottle, but Loki grabbed him by the chest and threw him laying on the sofa.

“Tony. You are drunk”, he repeated, slowlier than before. “Go to sleep now. You’re going to feel really bad in the morning if you don’t.”

“Eheey, Loki, it’s not that late yet”, Tony grinned. “I want to have some fun. Let’s have a party. Avengers party! Let’s call on my gang and you can invite some.. alien.. friends of yours as well.”

“That’s a bad idea and you know it yourself.”

“How bad?”

“Galactically bad.”

“Galaxy is a pretty big a scale, don’t you think?”

“Galaxy is as big as your idea is bad.”

Tony laughed. 

“You know, Loki, I always liked you. Your brother, he’s - he’s so great. Like, the heir of Asgard, the god of thunder and one of the Avengers. And cocky as hell. But you - you are more, what’s the word?”

“Shady?”

“No, no, the positive word. Like chill, but fancy word for that.”

“Depressing?”

“That’s not a positive word.”

Loki shrugged.

“What the fuck Loki”, Tony murmured. “You are cool. Maybe a bit of a lone wolf but hey, welcome to the club, meet the president Stark. But your magic is more elegant than Thor with his hammer and lighting bolts.”

Loki bursted into laughter.

“Seriously, Tony, you are drunk”, Loki said and patted Tony’s chest. “Come on, I’ll get you to bed.”

“Wait, you want to go to bed with me?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You said you’ll get me to bed!”

“Yes,  _ you _ , not  _ us _ ”, Loki tried to sound a bit less pissed off than his tone let understand. Not that Tony would be able to read his tone at the moment, no matter how clever a man he was. He was way too drunk for anything that detailed. On the other hand, Loki was not actually even sure if Tony could read people even when he was sober.

“Now, here we go”, Loki said quietly as he helped Tony get up on his feet and lean on him. Tony walked surprisingly straight, considering how bad his line of thought was at the moment.

“Do gods even have sex?” Tony asked when they entered the elevator.

“How do you think new gods are born?” Loki sighed.

“Well, my knowledge is of science and science does not believe in gods. Or well, technically it doesn’t take a stand on whether gods exist or not BUT that’s not the point. I’m no godologist and I know nothing of how gods reproduce.”

Loki whispered some swearing words by himself and tried to keep his cool with Tony’s babbling.  _ I thought human beings were annoying by nature, but for Odin’s beard why do they have to drink so much that they’ll become even more annoying? _

“So, you do have sex?” Tony confirmed.

“Shut up, Tony”, Loki muttered as they left the elevator in the floor where Tony’s bedroom was.


	6. A Kiss of Death

Loki dumped Tony on his bed.

“Do you survive from here?” Loki asked, his expression showing a weird mix of frustration, doubt and amusement. Tony lay on his bed, laughing.

“Are you really that innocent?” he asked, lifting himself up so that he leaned on his elbows to see Loki properly. Tony smirked. “Are you seriously embarrassed by the thought of seeing me undress myself?”

Loki took a slow step closer.

“Are you sure that you want to challenge me in that game?” he whispered and leaned down to get his face closer to Tony’s. “Because I can go all out on you, don’t doubt that, Tony. The question is do you really mean what you say, or are you just too drunk to think clearly?”

Tony stared at Loki, considering what he just had said. Their faces were very close to each other. Loki was close enough to sense the risen pulse of Tony.  _ If he’s sober enough, he could sense mine as well. _

“No tricks and no hallucinations”, Tony said. “I don’t want to be mind-controlled.”

“I don’t do things like that”, Loki snorted. “I hope that you know that. I might be a god and a trickster, but I do have a heart and that’s neither ice nor iron.”

“Sweet”, Tony grinned. “You are pretty good in using your mouth.”

Loki smirked.

“In what meaning?” he asked with a pure fake innocence. 

“Well, I’ve only seen it in one use”, Tony shrugged. Loki laughed and leaned forward to kiss Tony. 

~*~

The morning was cold and cloudy. Loki stood in the top floor of the building, looking out of the window. Down below the building the streets were filled with cars and people, hurrying their steps to get in time to work or school or wherever they were headed that morning.

_ Like watching ants in an anthill, _ Loki thought, grinning one-sidedly at the thought.  _ They are so small and so many, and on the move all the time. And so weak, unless someone tells them that they do have power if they work together. _

The elevator stopped at the top floor and Loki heard Tony stumble out of it.

“Gosh, it hurts”, Tony murmured, walking slowly next to Loki, a cup of hot coffee in his hand.

“Where?” Loki asked jokingly. He had that tricky smirk on his face again.

“Everywhere”, Tony complained. “Mainly to my head and for some reason to my chest as well. It will probably go away when I get something to eat and…”

The coffee mug dropped like in a slow motion movie. Tony let go of it as his muscles betrayed him and he fell. A mix of confusion and horror could be seen in his eyes, and Loki hurried to catch him, so that Tony wouldn’t hit his head when he hit the ground.

“Tony?” Loki asked, as confused and horrified as Tony was himself. Tony fought to catch air, to speak, but no voice came out. Just a few struggling breaths. For a moment Loki stared at him, unaware of what he should do, before he ran out of the building, making the fire alarms start to get some help into the building as fast as possible.

But he couldn’t be seen there, or else he would be in trouble with the Avengers.

 


	7. Delivered by a Snake

_ “Yesterday morning a fire alarm called for aid in the Stark tower. No fire was detected, but the firefighters found the head of the Stark Industries, Tony Stark, unconscious in the top floor of the tower. Mr. Stark has been taken to the hospital and according to the latest information he is not yet awakened…” _

Loki stared out of the window, expressionless as ever. The hospital room was white and overly clean, almost unnatural.  _ How do people stand these rooms? _ Loki thought, pouting his lips.  _ This place is awful. Way too clean. Unrealistic. Faked to look safe. If I were a human, I would probably die rather than being locked up in a place like this. _

Loki turned around and looked down at Tony, who lay in his hospital bed. No one had said it out loud to the public, but it was easy to see that he was in a coma due to a heart attack. He was connected to several mechanical devices, tracking his body functions, detecting if he needed artificial life support. There was some sort of a problem with it, however. Loki had heard the doctors talk about Tony’s heart and that small mechanism he had build himself to keep his heart working. No one in the hospital knew how to deal with the device, and due to Stark’s privacy they were not allowed to get help from anyone. 

_ People and their laws, _ Loki thought, looking at the monitors in the room.  _ He could be saved, if he wasn’t so strict about his privacy. And in that condition he can’t even give a permission to look for help. Though, if he was able to speak, he would probably fix it himself. _

Loki walked around Tony’s bed and touched lightly the piece of metal in his chest. It flickered under his touch, sending cold and warm pulses to his fingers. It felt almost like a living creature, reacting to him.

Suddenly the hospital machines started beeping and blinking like crazy. Numbers and patterns flashed on the screens, some of them blinking red alarm lights. The metal plate in Tony’s chest flickered and shut down.

“Shit”, Loki whispered and left the room just in time before the doctors rushed in. A long, monotonic, ear killing noise drowned in the fuss.


	8. A Broken Smile on his Lips

It was a cloudy, cold day. The sky was dark, on the edge of raining. A freezing wind blew through the city, forcing people to tighten their jackets and hurry up their steps. 

Tony Stark stood in the top floor of his tower, looking out of the window. The clouds were dark and heavy.  _ It’ll rain any minute now, _ Tony thought, sipping from his mug. It had been over a month now since he got out of the hospital, and he still didn’t quite have his life under control. The heart attack had been a bad one, and it would take some time to recover properly, but the work didn’t wait. Besides, Tony just couldn’t stay still. He was more anxious than ever, he needed something to do all the time. Having breaks like this was somewhat relaxing, but Tony could never stay out of his workroom for long. 

A slight dizzy feeling waved through Tony’s body and was gone before he even realized it. He had had that kind of feelings often after he had woken up in the hospital. The doctors had explained something about his brain taking damage from the attack and short period of coma. Tony had been doing a research on it and the other thing that bothered him: he couldn’t remember a thing from a long time before his heart attack.

The doctors had had a long list of reasons that could have affected his memory and brain functions, but none of it seemed to fit.  _ There is something they don’t know or don’t tell me, _ Tony thought. 

Another thing, not so serious though, was a nameless letter Tony had received during his time in the hospital. It had only a poem in it, written with a green gel pen on a beautiful paper. Even though it was way more smaller a problem than his body functions failing, the poem was bothering Tony. It was  _ The Poem of the Snake _ , a short poem written by a young foreigner author. It had no explanation in it, no hint about why it had been sent and nothing to track down the sender. Not even the handwriting scan could track the writer of it down.

Tony took a sip from his mug and peeked at his watch.  _ I should go. I still have time before I’’m expected in the headquarters. _

Tony turned his back to the window, walked straight across the room and took the elevator downstairs. When he had turned his back to the window, a figure appeared on his balcony, watching him go.

“It’s better this way”, Loki whispered, smiling sadly at Tony’s back.  _ Your heart is poisoned by my presence. You won’t survive many of those attacks anymore. That device you have cannot handle me close to you. I don’t want to kill you by being near you. _

As Tony disappeared into the elevator, Loki turned his back at the Stark tower and left, leaving a lone, salty drop on the balcony floor, followed by the long awaited rain.


End file.
